Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Malaysia's halal connection, Badawi and Temasek

Is there conflict of interest in halal corporation?Malaysia's plan to develop internation Halal certification and halal food industrial parks, is raising a web of sinister conflicts. The newly-formed Halal Industry Development Corp or HDC is under the auspices of the Prime Minister's office, although ownership of the company is unclear. HDC even processes foreign direct investment (FDI) for the halal sector, a role designed for the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti).

HDC, and its links to Badawi's family, got a lot closer when HDC signed up with Tamadam Bonded Warehouse, a company which is being taken over by the PM's brother Ibrahim to develop halal parks.

Tamadam had recently signed an agreement with Temasek, Singapore's investment arm, to source for various projects here. It is unclear if Temasek has a hand in this project, but the Badawi lineage is clear, and it open sa lot more trails with questions such as Why is the HDC tasked with halal certification using Jakim logo? (Jakim was doing the certification previously) and What is the role of son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin?

I am not saying that all this is haram or that there is wrong doing here, but the PM - HDC - PM's dear brother Ibrahim - Temasek link will have a lot of people edgy and will have great serious repercussions on Malaysia's Islamic finance aspirations.

Its not about the certificate alone to convince the Muslims..the power of knowledge & cyberworld can play significant effect..

Nowdays, smart Muslims consumers are aware about this halal issues & are most likely to support product made by Muslims for peace of mind..some still thinking the Malays are stupid in this 21st century..? well pity you!

Even if HDC shit become reality, doesn't guarentee they can secure the market from the Muslims especially when the Muslims are aware of the Chinese producers who on the records shown insensitivity, low hygiene & poor knowledge on halal requirement as required in Islam..

See what happens to Silverbirds - Hi-Fi bread..why need rebranding now? only after realizing they have insulted the majority consumers & see the market drop compared to Muslim managed Gardenia..? Not to mention the poultry product..Muslims prefer Ramly & Ayamas.

I trusted the Jews product more with their Kosher certification compared to Malaysian Chinese certified 'halal' product..its not about racist at all..its about food to be swallow in my mouth.. mind you!

After all, the guideline are similar as in the Torah & Al-Quran..

As for Pak Lah & Khairi..just let them enjoy their last moment before they dig their own shit out of their own ass.

I truly support product made under IKS which are mainly by Muslim. Badawi's family high end product? Sorry, not in the list!

HDC is controlled by Khairy's people, which includes one Ms Jumaaton, his wife's best friend.They get tens of millions of ringgit annually and do not report to anyone. Ms Jumaaton also runs this Halal Forum where KJ is chairman and they make millions in profits from generous contributions from Government-linked companies. This is one of KJ's many, many ventures. Wonder if he is going to follow his in-law's friend Patrick Lim in going to Oz with all the money they made in these few years...

Not only is HDC connected to Paklah & Family Sdn Bhd, the very nature of decreeing 'halal' has been taken away from muslim souls and NOW entrusted to corrupted bodies and mind. Simply said, tukang pegang mohor 'halal' sendiri makan cara haram.

I always thought that matters relating to the Islamic faith were matters of the state with the Sultan being the final head of it.

Not too long ago each state controlled its own HALAL certfication processes. A number of years ago JAKIM came into being at a Federal level and for a while both existed and you could go to both or either one for certification. Then of course for standardisation purposes and also for brand recognition purposes JAKIM took over everything.

Some 7-8 years ago there was this private company to which the Federal government granted the certification rights. thankfully at that time the States were also doing their own certifications. this privatised company started charging a hand and a leg for their certification. Still remember going for a conference where everyone there from teh food industry cursed and swore them. Anyway, they were forced out and JAKIM took over once again

Out of the bue this HALAL WORLD FORUM with Khairy as its "spiritual" head came up about 2 years ago or so. Halal development Corporation also came out about then and it was announced that this was a 100% Finance Ministry owned company. (Well, so was Tenaga, adn Telekom, and Water, and what else eh?)

Anyway, I suppose this HDC can easily be allocated land, supposedly Halal Park and so on...and I can already see the PKFTZ going that way too....and then one fine day someone takes over.

I would like to suggest that the Liberated States of Malaysia come up with a competing HALAL Certifying body set up for the sole eclecestical purpose of issuing HALAL certifications under the guidance of PAS. I am sure this will be a lot more kosher than the one issued by HDC which reeks of profiteering. After all in australia they have three different certifying bodies that are recognised. One managed by Arabs, Another by Indians and one more ...I don't know who la.

So we can have in Malaysia one by traditional Islam and another by Islam Hadhari!....

Thanks for linking up the connection. It has been simmering for sometime and this Halal cert thingie seemed to be the next way forward in milking the rakyat. How is it helping a normal rakyat to be entrepreneur in food industry when these cost keep getting higher? I am sure that HDC is not going to charge lower than what JAKIM is charging.

This is the problem with our country. Everytime there a cash cow appears it is privatised without open tender for the licence. Remember FOMEMA?

So, instead of State and Fed Govt collecting more easy revenue, we, the Public, end up paying more for toll, electricity, water and food costs. Once these end up in private hands, the cost to the public can only go one way - UP!! Today it is the Halal certification, yesterday it was that 'gaji buta' security seal on bottles and cans.

All infrasturucture projects and issues that concern the welfare of the people should not be privatised. There is enough revenue from these privatised projects to keep the charges reasonably low to the public & to keep the Govt machinery running efficiently.

The private sector should concentrate on entrepreneurial projects. That's what a free market economy means.

This HDC development has all the ear-marks of another easy money project lost to the public, but one to benefit enormously a crony or nepotist.

Of course, they will justify it as a Bumiputra initiative, so no necessity for open tendet etc etc etc. Sigh!!

Malaysia as a credible 'halal' brand is being compromised all the time. It is a joke what types of companies are parading their 'halal' credentials just to earn a buck. The irony of it all is lost on these clowns though.

Being truly halal means acting with complete integrity and that means transparency. Otherwise that little mark at the end means jack- shit. There are even foreign owned companies trying to get in on the act by demonstrating their so- called ‘halal’ credentials by projecting a Malaysian (Muslim) ownership (all proxies) in the hope it will get them more business. What is wrong with being honest or halal?

There's nothing wrong with the creation of the hub per se. But when it smacks of abuse in high office, nepotism, cronyism or profiteering, i would question the venture, too. There can be nothing halal about this, can it? Hmm.

Rocky!When Oh! When will this ever stop? U mean to say there is only one person who can handle this project in this entire nation, who is not related to.....? Lord!& pray why oh why is Temaske/Tumasek always coming into Malaysia? If Tumasek is the investment arm of The Government of Singapore, why is it allowed to control Malaysia? Where is our Sovereignity? Why for God's Sake? Was Not The Pantai Holdings enough?That was M.....M......! Now its I...B.....!Then submarines is yet another!!!U know Rocky! If our 25million citizens place RM100/- into a special fund{& the Vuntures cannot touch} we would have approx RM100/- x 25,000,000 = RM 2,500,000,000/-.That is RM 2.5 billion! Then we do not need to be colonised by others! & The kuching Kurap call DSAI an Isareli Agent!

Did you not get this lead from Awang Maya's comment in your `School of Blogging?' post? Kalau ya, bagi la kredit kat Awang tu sikit ;-)

Anyway, blogger Datuk Ron Kuda Kepang did leave a comment on Awang Maya's blog on this issue. He gave some tips on where to look for more inside information on this issue. Psst.... go fine some JAKIM people who's willing to talk...

Khinzir Jahanam/Jahat (KJ) is head of the Halal Malaysia, right. So he is running the whole show and making a kill. And why should be Dollah's brother be allowed to run the Halal industry when he even can't run a mamak stall in Perth? Boleh Land!

1. The article in Rocky Bru Blogsite appears to be very slanderous without knowing the facts. This could possibly be provocative journalism to obtain further information from HDC and thereafter write more articles to further slander HDC. On the other hand, by remaining silent, HDC may appear guilty by default which may inadvertently confirm some element of truth of the said article in the blogsite. We also need legal advice as what possible legal should be action to take against Rocky Bru Ahiruddin Attan.

2. The MOU with Tamadam as a Halal Logistic Operator is non-binding as with any other MOUs signed by HDC with other parties. HDC does not discriminate with whom she signs any MOU as the main interest in to ensure that the entire Halal Value Chain is covered. With regards to Halal Logistic Operator, HDC had also signed an MOU with MISC Integrated Logistics (MILS) at the World Halal Forum last year.

3. The content of the MOU with Tamadam does not give them any rights to develop any Halal Parks as claimed by the Rocky Bru article. In fact , the scope of the MOU includes:

• For Tamadan, as a Logistic Operator, to utilise its expertise to propose a Logistic Framework to implement a logistic infrastucture for certain Halal Parks.

• Obviously, this scope only refers to Tamadam submitting a proposal on a Logistic Framework to certain Halal Parks. The certain Halal Parks may and may not accept the proposal and its their prerogative to do so.

• Subject to the outcome of the Proposal to the Halal Parks, if so feasible and deem fit, HDC may make recomendation to the halal Park Operators.

• This particular clause again depends entirely on the prerogative of the Halal Parks whether to accept the proposal or not. If the proposal from Tamadam to set a logistic infrastructure on a purely commercial basis is accepted by the certain Halal Parks on condition that it is feasible and deem fit, then HDC will support it.

• It should be noted that HDC is under no obligation to give Tamadam or any other companies any preference to develop any Halal Parks as claimed by the Rocky Bru Blogsite.

4. On the ownership of HDC, the sole shareholder is MOF Incorporated very much simliar to the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) and the BioTech Corporation. There is no evidence that Khairy Jamaluddin is involved in HDC and the said article by Ahiruddin Atan is only based on hearsay. In fact, Rocky Bru should have conducted a company search on HDC before writing the slanderous article.

5. On the incentives for the Halal Industry as announced by the Prime Minister on Monday 12th May 2008 at the World Halal Forum, this is a much needed boost for the fragmented Halal Industry. While MDeC also have a separate set of incentives for the ICT Industry, the growth of the ICT industry has been unprecedented. Therefore, HDC expects the Halal Industry to also grow by making the industry more competitive. In addition, Malaysia as an investment destination for the Halal Industry will also have to compete with our neighbours for the same investment dollars. Of course, HDC will complement MIDA and MITI in attracting investments very much in the same way as MDEC and BioTech Corp.

6. On Halal Certification, HDC adheres to the strictiest set of procedures based on Syariah and comply to MS1500:2004 standards. The Halal Logo belongs to the Malaysian Government and NOT by JAKIM or even HDC.

Bro Rocky,I ada buat artikel pasal ni and posted to TKO and being published. my article can be read here:http://takgedebe.blogspot.com/2008/04/pas-patut-dah-mula-buat-kerja.htmlBut to my surprise is, in my follow up article, there is someone from one PAS branch condemning by saying that its easy for anybody to give suggestion but not easy for them(PAS) to make it happen. Wallaa... in my head, when you said you are fighter (pejuang) there is no word of 'impossible'.

A: " the certificates issued will also bear Jakim's name and logo because they have been long in use," Abdullah Ahmad (Bernama April 10 2008)

Q) What is the role of HDC in bringing investment? A) "The Cabinet has decided that MITI's role in the promotion, marketing and exhibition of halal products will be taken over by HDC," Ahmad Zahid, miniser of islamic affairs (Bernama April 14). Q) What does MITI think about it? A) Muhyiddin contended that the development of the halal industry is part of MITI's portfolio of responsibilities and duties. "Our intention was not to take over the issuance of halal certificates, we just want to be involved in efforts to step up the development process of this industry because there's no point in us promoting Malaysia throughout the world as a hub for halal food production when within the country itself, we have yet to develop the industry's capacity to grow," he explained. (BERNAMA April 7) Q) What is the industry worth?A:) US$2 trillion a year.

Q) What do people think abou JAKIM's certification? A) :"Malaysia's Halal certification issued by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (Jakim) being globally recognised," Port of Rotterdam's area manager for South East Asia & Russia, Captain Kees J Westrate, (Bernama Feb 15 2008)

Q) Whoes bright idea was all these? A) KasehDia Sdn Bhd, which organises the World Halal Forum, in which Khairy Jamaludin is the top dog. KasehDia Consultancy was involved in the drafting of the Halal Chapter of Malaysia's 3rd Industrial Master Plan after being appointed as consultant by the Prime Minister¹s Office and Halal Industry Development Corporation. (info Kasehdia website)

Q) Who is the face of Kasehdia? A) Puan Jumaatun Azmi, Founder and Managing Director. (info Kasehdia website)A communications graduate from Hartford University in Connecticut (The star). Q)When was Kasehdia esablished? A) KasehDia Sdn Bhd, formally established in 1999. Jumaatun was that time aged 22. Q) Is she married?A)Yes, her AUSTRALIAN husband, Nordin Abdullah, 31, who is also a director of KasehDia (The star June 9 2007). Q) Who is this dude? A)Well travelled in Asia where he is a sought after speaker at conferences[citation needed], Nordin has an unparalleled understanding of issues facing both governments and businesses[citation needed]. His expert knowledge of global trends in the Halal and Islamic worlds brings a fresh perspective and makes him somewhat of an expert whose views are sought after by governments, business and the international media[citation needed].

Nordin has proven his entrepreneurial ability in the key role he has played in developing KasehDia[citation needed]. Nordin also sits on the boards of several companies, and on the Board of Trustees of the International Halal Industry Alliance[citation needed].

Always looking for a new and challenging project[citation needed] Nordin is now currently developing a Consultancy team under the Strategia group of companies[citation needed]. With leadership from Nordin, team players Azhar Jamal from Strategia Malaysia and Anne Velu from Strategia Australia are providing Consultancy and Training to organisations and business in South East Asia and Asia[citation needed].

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nordin_Abdullah"Hidden categories: All pages needing to be wikified | Wikify from December 2007 | Articles lacking sources from November 2007 | All articles lacking sources | Articles with peacock terms | Orphaned articles from November 2007 | Wikify from November 2007 | All pages needing cleanup | Cleanup from November 2007 | Wikipedia articles with possible conflicts of interest | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since March 2008 (wikipideia).

1. In the article in Rocky Bru Blogsite, it appears that little information is very damaging to the parties concerned bordering slander without knowing the facts. This could possibly be provocative journalism to obtain further information from HDC and thereafter write more articles on HDC. On the other hand, by remaining silent, HDC may appear guilty by default which may inadvertently confirm some element of truth of the said article in the blogsite.

2. HDC is very transparent in its dealing with the various parties including Tamadam. Our business partners are selected based on their experience and expertise. HDC does not discriminate with whom she signs any MOU as the main interest in to ensure that the entire Halal Value Chain is promoted. With regards to Halal Logistic Operator, HDC had also signed an MOU with MISC Integrated Logistics (MILS) last year.

3. The content of the MOU with Tamadam does not give them any rights to develop any Halal Parks as claimed by the Rocky Bru article. In fact , the scope of the MOU includes:

• For Tamadan, as a Logistic Operator, to utilise its expertise to propose a Logistic Framework to implement a logistic infrastucture for certain Halal Parks.

• Obviously, this scope only refers to Tamadam submitting a proposal on a Logistic Framework to certain Halal Parks. The certain Halal Parks may and may not accept the proposal and its their prerogative to do so.

• Subject to the outcome of the Proposal to the Halal Parks, if so feasible and deem fit, HDC may make recomendation to the halal Park Operators.

• This particular clause again depends entirely on the prerogative of the Halal Parks whether to accept the proposal or not. If the proposal from Tamadam to set a logistic infrastructure on a purely commercial basis is accepted by the certain Halal Parks on condition that it is feasible and deem fit, then HDC will support it.

• It should be noted that HDC is under no uncertain terms to give Tamadam or any other companies any preference to develop any Halal Parks as claimed by Rocky Bru.

4. On the ownership of HDC, you are right in mentioning that HDC is under the auspices of the Prime Minister’s office, a decision made earlier to ensure that the Corporation is able to make fast decision and thus efficient in its operation. HDC reports to the Minister in the Prime Minister Department. The sole shareholder of HDC is Minstry of FInance Incorporated and HDC is governed by a Board of Directors and managed by a team who have no personal interest, transparent and practise good corporate governance. HDC is not owned or influenced by any individual or personality. In fact, Rocky Bru should have conducted a company search on HDC before writing the said article.

5. On the incentives for the Halal Industry as announced by the Prime Minister on Monday 12th May 2008 at the World Halal Forum, this is a much needed boost for the fragmented Halal Industry. While there is a separate set of incentives for the ICT Industry, we have seen tremendous growth of the ICT industry. Therefore, HDC expects the Halal Industry to also grow by making the industry more competitive. In addition, Malaysia as an investment destination for the Halal Industry will also have to compete with our neighbours for the same investment dollars. HDC will complement MIDA and MITI in attracting investments very much in the same way as the ICT and BioTech Industries.

6. In order to make Malaysia the preferred Halal hub in this region, there is a necessity to brand and promote the Malaysian halal logo. HDC, being established as the world’s first development corporation to focus exclusively on the branding, marketing and promotions of Malaysia’s Halal products and services, has been given the halal certification task to push the Malaysia Halal standards to even greater heights with it being bestowed the task of handling the Halal certification, both locally and internationally. On Halal Certification, HDC adheres to the strictiest set of procedures based on Syariah and comply to MS1500:2004 standards. The Halal Logo belongs to the Malaysian Government and NOT by JAKIM or even HDC.

1. In the article in Rocky Bru Blogsite, it appears that little information is very damaging to the parties concerned bordering slander without knowing the facts. This could possibly be provocative journalism to obtain further information from HDC and thereafter write more articles on HDC. On the other hand, by remaining silent, HDC may appear guilty by default which may inadvertently confirm some element of truth of the said article in the blogsite.

2. HDC is very transparent in its dealing with the various parties including Tamadam. Our business partners are selected based on their experience and expertise. HDC does not discriminate with whom she signs any MOU as the main interest in to ensure that the entire Halal Value Chain is promoted. With regards to Halal Logistic Operator, HDC had also signed an MOU with MISC Integrated Logistics (MILS) last year.

3. The content of the MOU with Tamadam does not give them any rights to develop any Halal Parks as claimed by the Rocky Bru article. In fact , the scope of the MOU includes:

• For Tamadan, as a Logistic Operator, to utilise its expertise to propose a Logistic Framework to implement a logistic infrastucture for certain Halal Parks.

• Obviously, this scope only refers to Tamadam submitting a proposal on a Logistic Framework to certain Halal Parks. The certain Halal Parks may and may not accept the proposal and its their prerogative to do so.

• Subject to the outcome of the Proposal to the Halal Parks, if so feasible and deem fit, HDC may make recomendation to the halal Park Operators.

• This particular clause again depends entirely on the prerogative of the Halal Parks whether to accept the proposal or not. If the proposal from Tamadam to set a logistic infrastructure on a purely commercial basis is accepted by the certain Halal Parks on condition that it is feasible and deem fit, then HDC will support it.

• It should be noted that HDC is under no uncertain terms to give Tamadam or any other companies any preference to develop any Halal Parks as claimed by Rocky Bru.

4. On the ownership of HDC, you are right in mentioning that HDC is under the auspices of the Prime Minister’s office, a decision made earlier to ensure that the Corporation is able to make fast decision and thus efficient in its operation. HDC reports to the Minister in the Prime Minister Department. The sole shareholder of HDC is Minstry of FInance Incorporated and HDC is governed by a Board of Directors and managed by a team who have no personal interest, transparent and practise good corporate governance. HDC is not owned or influenced by any individual or personality. In fact, Rocky Bru should have conducted a company search on HDC before writing the said article.

5. On the incentives for the Halal Industry as announced by the Prime Minister on Monday 12th May 2008 at the World Halal Forum, this is a much needed boost for the fragmented Halal Industry. While there is a separate set of incentives for the ICT Industry, we have seen tremendous growth of the ICT industry. Therefore, HDC expects the Halal Industry to also grow by making the industry more competitive. In addition, Malaysia as an investment destination for the Halal Industry will also have to compete with our neighbours for the same investment dollars. HDC will complement MIDA and MITI in attracting investments very much in the same way as the ICT and BioTech Industries.

6. In order to make Malaysia the preferred Halal hub in this region, there is a necessity to brand and promote the Malaysian halal logo. HDC, being established as the world’s first development corporation to focus exclusively on the branding, marketing and promotions of Malaysia’s Halal products and services, has been given the halal certification task to push the Malaysia Halal standards to even greater heights with it being bestowed the task of handling the Halal certification, both locally and internationally. On Halal Certification, HDC adheres to the strictiest set of procedures based on Syariah and comply to MS1500:2004 standards. The Halal Logo belongs to the Malaysian Government and NOT by JAKIM or even HDC.

This smells thick of conflict of interest situations and poor governance. The father and SIL should make the appropriate disclosures to the public.

If the SIL indeed is a kaki minum, he should discharged himself from being in involved in the leadership and management of any halal certification processes; buat malu Islam sahaja.

To those who want to see the SIL fail flat in the UMNO leadership, do further verification and dig deep. If the evidence is discriminating, blow big such findings.

“The Prince of Darkness” aka the young Count Dracula should have his blunt fangs extracted out soonest to end the period of darkness in this country brought about by his arrogance (UMNO sombong?) and stupidity in meddling with the strategic affairs of the Nation.

Gazz...legal action for what??? Threats threats threats...take against all of us lah... Rocky, Awangmaya, moi,semua2 yang question kat sini...all of us got questions about HDC and world halal forum and the suitability of a dubious joker like Khairy helming it...and what with allegations of Kasehdia being involved in drafting the Halal chapter of the master plan...and the alleged connections of Jumaatun with Khairy's wife...we have every right to question sebab everything linked to PM's family stinks...dari AirAsia to ECMLibra to the recent revelations by Lim Guan Eng of the inflated value from few hundred million to berpuluh billion of the land acquired under PGCC plan aka Patrick Lim THROUGH MERE REGAZETTING of recreational and green lungs into commercial land! read yesterday's Sun! Read MP Wee's questions to parliament on Air Asia!

We have every right to question. We had enough. The rakyat is not going to be kuda tunggangan greedy leaders and their associates any longer.Families making profiteering in the name of offering suitable "expertise" in the area.

HDC is a public interest company. The interests of the Muslim community. And we the public got a right to know.

1. In the article in Rocky Bru Blogsite, it appears that little information is very damaging to the parties concerned bordering slander without knowing the facts. This could possibly be provocative journalism to obtain further information from HDC and thereafter write more articles on HDC. On the other hand, by remaining silent, HDC may appear guilty by default which may inadvertently confirm some element of truth of the said article in the blogsite.

2. HDC is very transparent in its dealing with the various parties including Tamadam. Our business partners are selected based on their experience and expertise. HDC does not discriminate with whom she signs any MOU as the main interest in to ensure that the entire Halal Value Chain is promoted. With regards to Halal Logistic Operator, HDC had also signed an MOU with MISC Integrated Logistics (MILS) last year.

3. The content of the MOU with Tamadam does not give them any rights to develop any Halal Parks as claimed by the Rocky Bru article. In fact , the scope of the MOU includes:

• For Tamadan, as a Logistic Operator, to utilise its expertise to propose a Logistic Framework to implement a logistic infrastucture for certain Halal Parks.

• Obviously, this scope only refers to Tamadam submitting a proposal on a Logistic Framework to certain Halal Parks. The certain Halal Parks may and may not accept the proposal and its their prerogative to do so.

• Subject to the outcome of the Proposal to the Halal Parks, if so feasible and deem fit, HDC may make recomendation to the halal Park Operators.

• This particular clause again depends entirely on the prerogative of the Halal Parks whether to accept the proposal or not. If the proposal from Tamadam to set a logistic infrastructure on a purely commercial basis is accepted by the certain Halal Parks on condition that it is feasible and deem fit, then HDC will support it.

• It should be noted that HDC is under no uncertain terms to give Tamadam or any other companies any preference to develop any Halal Parks as claimed by Rocky Bru.

4. On the ownership of HDC, you are right in mentioning that HDC is under the auspices of the Prime Minister’s office, a decision made earlier to ensure that the Corporation is able to make fast decision and thus efficient in its operation. HDC reports to the Minister in the Prime Minister Department. The sole shareholder of HDC is Minstry of FInance Incorporated and HDC is governed by a Board of Directors and managed by a team who have no personal interest, transparent and practise good corporate governance. HDC is not owned or influenced by any individual or personality. In fact, Rocky Bru should have conducted a company search on HDC before writing the said article.

5. On the incentives for the Halal Industry as announced by the Prime Minister on Monday 12th May 2008 at the World Halal Forum, this is a much needed boost for the fragmented Halal Industry. While there is a separate set of incentives for the ICT Industry, we have seen tremendous growth of the ICT industry. Therefore, HDC expects the Halal Industry to also grow by making the industry more competitive. In addition, Malaysia as an investment destination for the Halal Industry will also have to compete with our neighbours for the same investment dollars. HDC will complement MIDA and MITI in attracting investments very much in the same way as the ICT and BioTech Industries.

6. In order to make Malaysia the preferred Halal hub in this region, there is a necessity to brand and promote the Malaysian halal logo. HDC, being established as the world’s first development corporation to focus exclusively on the branding, marketing and promotions of Malaysia’s Halal products and services, has been given the halal certification task to push the Malaysia Halal standards to even greater heights with it being bestowed the task of handling the Halal certification, both locally and internationally. On Halal Certification, HDC adheres to the strictiest set of procedures based on Syariah and comply to MS1500:2004 standards. The Halal Logo belongs to the Malaysian Government and NOT by JAKIM or even HDC.

1. In the article in Rocky Bru Blogsite, it appears that little information is very damaging to the parties concerned bordering slander without knowing the facts. This could possibly be provocative journalism to obtain further information from HDC and thereafter write more articles on HDC. On the other hand, by remaining silent, HDC may appear guilty by default which may inadvertently confirm some element of truth of the said article in the blogsite.

2. HDC is very transparent in its dealing with the various parties including Tamadam. Our business partners are selected based on their experience and expertise. HDC does not discriminate with whom she signs any MOU as the main interest in to ensure that the entire Halal Value Chain is promoted. With regards to Halal Logistic Operator, HDC had also signed an MOU with MISC Integrated Logistics (MILS) last year.

3. The content of the MOU with Tamadam does not give them any rights to develop any Halal Parks as claimed by the Rocky Bru article. In fact , the scope of the MOU includes:

• For Tamadan, as a Logistic Operator, to utilise its expertise to propose a Logistic Framework to implement a logistic infrastucture for certain Halal Parks.

• Obviously, this scope only refers to Tamadam submitting a proposal on a Logistic Framework to certain Halal Parks. The certain Halal Parks may and may not accept the proposal and its their prerogative to do so.

• Subject to the outcome of the Proposal to the Halal Parks, if so feasible and deem fit, HDC may make recomendation to the halal Park Operators.

• This particular clause again depends entirely on the prerogative of the Halal Parks whether to accept the proposal or not. If the proposal from Tamadam to set a logistic infrastructure on a purely commercial basis is accepted by the certain Halal Parks on condition that it is feasible and deem fit, then HDC will support it.

• It should be noted that HDC is under no uncertain terms to give Tamadam or any other companies any preference to develop any Halal Parks as claimed by Rocky Bru.

4. On the ownership of HDC, you are right in mentioning that HDC is under the auspices of the Prime Minister’s office, a decision made earlier to ensure that the Corporation is able to make fast decision and thus efficient in its operation. HDC reports to the Minister in the Prime Minister Department. The sole shareholder of HDC is Minstry of FInance Incorporated and HDC is governed by a Board of Directors and managed by a team who have no personal interest, transparent and practise good corporate governance. HDC is not owned or influenced by any individual or personality. In fact, Rocky Bru should have conducted a company search on HDC before writing the said article.

5. On the incentives for the Halal Industry as announced by the Prime Minister on Monday 12th May 2008 at the World Halal Forum, this is a much needed boost for the fragmented Halal Industry. While there is a separate set of incentives for the ICT Industry, we have seen tremendous growth of the ICT industry. Therefore, HDC expects the Halal Industry to also grow by making the industry more competitive. In addition, Malaysia as an investment destination for the Halal Industry will also have to compete with our neighbours for the same investment dollars. HDC will complement MIDA and MITI in attracting investments very much in the same way as the ICT and BioTech Industries.

6. In order to make Malaysia the preferred Halal hub in this region, there is a necessity to brand and promote the Malaysian halal logo. HDC, being established as the world’s first development corporation to focus exclusively on the branding, marketing and promotions of Malaysia’s Halal products and services, has been given the halal certification task to push the Malaysia Halal standards to even greater heights with it being bestowed the task of handling the Halal certification, both locally and internationally. On Halal Certification, HDC adheres to the strictiest set of procedures based on Syariah and comply to MS1500:2004 standards. The Halal Logo belongs to the Malaysian Government and NOT by JAKIM or even HDC.

And what is this woman Jumaatun who doesn't even practice tutup aurat( sah sah HARAM) nak helm a company that help draft the HALAL chapter of the IMP?? And talk about developing halal hub and lead the way for the Islamic world on this issue????

Who the hell is she? And Khairy the drinker as WHF head??? what a joke.

Why couldnt HDC sign directly, i had the opportunity to "chat" with a senior management of HDC, they wanted my outfit to propose some idea for the Halal industry but i declined when i found out that Kasehdia (not sure of the spelling)was overall in charge.... yang pelik some guys who worked for MSC are in there.

Orang susah susah create idea, they ambil idea orang senang senang ke ke ke. So, i left it but the lady was pretty good and unfortunately she has to conform "halal" rules ke ke ke

Pissed...there is even an foreign owned IT based company with Israeli connections and headed by Malaysian proxies trying to muscle in on the act and 'buying' their way in. Without transparency and ethics then the Malaysian halal brand will always be compromised.

Between Halal and Kosher, it is more important for Malaysian companies involved in the export market to get kosher certifications. Especially if you are exporting to the American and European market. More so when you want to export palm oil and their derivatives. And yes, there are many kosher certified food processors in Malaysia and this includes FELDA owned companies too.

Actually, KJ was the chairman of the World Halal Forum. He has been removed, with the organisers using the reason that he is now unsuitable due to being a full time politician. (As if he wasn't before, but I suppose these guys had to be practical!)

Btw, should KJ not be removed from the FAM board then now? I thought they also got rid of many politicians and shoved KJ in under the excuse that politicians shouldn't be in FAM?

Ghazz the Senior Vice President, go get a real job like other people la. You think the rakyat (especially the muslim) is bodo ka? You create this Halal certification thingy so that in future your organisation will get exclusive control of it and make an easy profit. Tak malu ke hidup menipu? Promoting Halal food konon. hehe..Ghazie.. Ghazie... macam ni kau end up rupanya...

Anonymous,Dr Ghazie,Can you clearly explain the involvement of Khairy, Ibrahim and name all the board members and how and what, the executives/managements are paid.That would show transparency, and don't go beating about the bush, giving nonsensical justifications of why HDC.

Studip doctor "Ghazz",Don't flood these comments with your repetitions! Please reveal in full all the detailed expenses HDC incurred over the past year. We want to know how much was paid to Kasehdia, Mr Nordin and Puan Jumaatun. Also, for the reader's interest, Ms Nori Abdullah (yes, KJ's wife) was one of the directors of Kasehdia until recently. Stupid corrupt idiots!

from what i heard, HDC will give HALAL certification to the products, however they do not want to monitor its certification after that, which is whether the companies still applies to rules of producing HALAL food. And yet they want JAKIM to monitor these, which JAKIM pening kepala already bcoz in the 1st place they did not involved in the process of evaluating the product and give certification..If this continues..we a s muslim in Malaysia also are in the danger of consumption non HALAL product,,,,we as malaysians did not have faith anymore to our product..because we already 'was-was'(doubt)...you people who gave the certification should take responsible on what you do...u may not pay it here (while u were still alive) but you definitely will pay the price in life after death..MASYAALLAH...

What if the contract to verify whether a company is compliant to this new halal standard is given to a company that is not 100% ethical in its business dealings? Then would this compromise the mark attained?

Can another country/player, such as Singapore for example, then combine all the ISO and other standards, plus add a complete DD verification on all who ‘touch’ the mark, that they are 1. completely ethical, and 2. sustainable with a high CSR involvement, then be able to claim a more ‘truer’ halal brand? Dr Ghazie please?

I am reminded of a story about the first caliph of Islam, Saidina Abu Bakar r.a.His wife was asking him for a bit of extra money to make his favourite sweet dessert, he said he had no extra because he took a salary that is just enough to cover his household needs and none for luxuries so he asked her to save a bit here and there and when she has enough, then she could make the dessert...so that was what she did.after a period of time she saved enough money to buy the ingredients and make the dessert.when she finally offered it to Abu Bakar do you know what he said?"Where did you get the money to buy this?"I saved it from what you gave me," she answered."In that case I must have taken too much money for my salary," he said and so afraid was he that he may not be able to account for every single sen of public money that he took for himself, the very next day Saidina Abu Bakar cut his salary just a bit more...

6.21AMIf that were true, the Jews should already extinct after their salvation by Nabi Musa a.s who introduced to them the Taurat, just before Hitler were even born. Waa...cannot eat this..cannot eat that, eh!

Kosher is more strict compared to Halal on variety of food selection..the Jews even cannot eat fish that do not have scales..including shellfish, crab, prawn etc & only can eat a few kind of birds... Well, they never complaint, rattling yet bitching about that, do they?..What's the bitch about a slightly less strict halal?

A true muslim can survive for 12hours a day for 30 consecutive days without food & water and they never bitch like sissy "i tak tahan lapar & dahaga lah..haus!..lapar!" like some of you people here.. who are you moron who try to speak on behalf of their faith?

Badawi's family & SIL can scoop all those buerocracy shit for them if they wanted to..well just let them before they loose the grip on everything..Pak Lah wanted to find Al-Ghazali, As-Shafie..instead he was lost in the jungle & found monkey & pussy to live with!

Bear in mind that in reality, the authority over Halal is not within some govt. institution, HDC shit grip or any brandished logos..It is within the faith of the true Muslim to abide rules in Al-Quran.. True Muslims do not worship the halal logo, HDC or even those political morons.

Like MaChAi to Chinese, MICkey to Indians, AMNO is best at exploiting Malays/Muslims in the worst possible ways to benefit themselves. They see nothing 'wrong' with it while making their wallets thick.

Good point here...maybe PM can shed some light on this so that we can all understand the rational behind the 'privatisation' of the halal certification. Yes, we demand for some facts. We have the RIGHT to know and understand so that we can give a better support.

After the many repetitions from Gazz and long stories, most of us are still doubtful especially when inserted the veiled threats of litigation. If HDC is transparent as alleged, open discussion should not bother it. HDC can also answer many questions posed and show us your so called master plans, payment rates, ownership etc.

I just know from a friend from a hotel that in order to get a Halal cert for ONE restaurant, they have to spend RM100K with help of consultants. How to do business?

I am sad for my muslim friends who are now pening kepala when they want to dine. Even the domain of religion is now politics and business.

You all realize this Halal issue is very sensitive to Muslims right. It is getting complex as the whole system sounds, now that it involves all these allegations and controversies. I dont know whether half of the stories written here are true or otherwise.

All i want to say is, if the person at the top is taking for granted the issuing of Halal certificates and if there are any instances that if it "certified" Halal, yet in actual fact it's authenticity can be doubtful, or worst still to be HARAM.... (in whatever way). Answer to God later, for the Muslim consumers in Malaysia do not expect a Muslim would do this to another Muslim.

I am curious as to why you think that Malaysia's push to be a major Islamic banking and finance hub will be threatened by Temasek Holdings' involvement in the proposed Halal Hub?

It is well known in banking and financial circles that the Spore authorities are trying very hard to make the city-state a regional hub for Islamic banking and finance.

After all, Spore is already a major hub for banking, hedge funds, currency trading, private banking and wealth management and private equity funds.

All areas that Malaysia could have become a hub for if the govt and Bank Negara had got their thinking straight.

So, if Spore wants to become an Islamic banking hub, there is little that Malaysia can do about it. Spore has already achieved critical mass in becoming a regional banking and financial hub through the implementation of well-thought-out and consistent policies. No flip-flops!

i CAME TO UNDERSTAND pAK lAH AND sil WEN TO KUWAIT(?) RECENTLY TO PROMOTE THIS HALAL THIN. aPPARENTLY THE FIRST THE TURNOUT WAS OKAY. COME THE SECOND DAY THE FLOOR WAS BEING FILLED WITH HANDFUL OF MALAYSIAN JOURNALISTS. iS WHAT I HEARD RIGHT? CAN SOMEBODY CORRECT ME??

Well nobody really knows, but we do know that Khairy Jamaluddin, Badawi's son-in-law, very active in promoting halal sector. The greater Q here is why give a private company to decide how public funds used, and to who the money'schanelled, plus Msian govt halal certification (jabatan agama Islam)is widely respected, meaning when a govt agency performs, immediately, we spit on their face by giving fresh responsibility to pvt sector instead of them. Regardless of wether its KJ or botak chin, bottomline is Msia halal certification is widely respected since 1980's. If you want to promote halal food for import, you give tax breaks for them to set up operations. You also have Entrepreneur Ministry to help small Bumi firms to participate. No, need to give $ to any private company. If Jakim certification good enough to be respected, i garner they competent enough to advise private sector. The Government has artificially created additional cost, even if HDC is one percent owned by private sector.